Sylverfyst

Hey everybody, welcome to a new season of anime! I'll be watching every show that I can get my hands on over the next couple of weeks to bring you my impressions of the new season's shows! Today we're going to start out with the five shows that have premiered so far: Samurai Jam Bakumatsu Rock, Argevollen, Tokyo Ghoul, Locodol, and Glasslip

Welcome to the second round of impressions from the season so far! There's a bunch of anime…
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Samurai Jam Bakumatsu Rock

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I'd be lying to you if I said that I didn't laugh or enjoy myself at all during the course of this episode. It's goofy and bright and nonsensical. It's also because I was laughing at the show rather than with it. That sort of entertainment isn't the kind that can be sustained for the whole season. So that being said who will like this show? If you like highly edited J-Rock this show is for you. If you like super bishonen characters this show is for you. If you like thinly veiled criticisms of the idol system of music in Japan this show is for you. If you like beefcake shots this show is DEFINITELY for you. If you're like me and want a coherent story that makes any sort of sense, animation that isn't lackluster, and fanservice that doesn't pander this show is NOT for you. Interesting premise, goofy as hell, and certainly vibrant, but also as vapid, ridiculous to a fault and empty.

Verdict: I'm probably not going to continue watching this one.

Glasslip

Glasslip seems to be a slice of life show set around a girl Touko who lives in her family's glass blowing shop and her group of friends. I say seems to be, because the show really hasn't done much other than introduce the characters and setting in this first episode. That being said, This. Show. Is. Gorgeous. Seriously, I hope that it wasn't something they blew all of their budget on for the first episode, but it's absolutely spectacular visually. The setting is also shown to the viewer rather than told, and it respects your intellect enough to figure things out about characters through body language and behavior rather than outright spilling the beans via exposition. It's refreshing actually. I can see the punch to the feels coming a mile away, (foreshadowing doesn't to be the show's strong suit -_-;) and there's some conflict starting to brew already, but it should be an interesting show to follow.

Verdict: I'm going to be following this show!

Argevollen

So, Argevollen, I'm going to talk to you for a little bit here. I really want a good mecha show to fill the void that's been missing the last couple of seasons. Yeah yeah, Gargantia was good, and Valvrave was bonkers mecha lord of the flies, but I want like a proper mecha show, can you do that? So far the answer is not yet. It spends the first five minutes telling us the super cliche'd setting before even introducing us to our hero. It works at the very base level, but if you look at it too hard it starts to feel stale before the first episode is even over. It's pretty to look at, but it has no brains, no heart even, it feels like every mecha story before it. So, please Argevollen I'm begging you please raise above your horror of war, corrupt officials, and mecha that chooses the pilot trappings to become something greater. I need a GOOD mecha show. Thanks!

Verdict: Not very good, but I'll keep watching because damn if I really want a good mecha show right now.

Tokyo Ghoul

Holy Crap. This is one of the more gripping opening episodes to an anime that I've seen in a long time. It has this dark atmosphere around it, but it's a BEAUTIFUL show, it's got some of the best background animation that I've seen in a while and the gore is wonderfully drawn. It's a "Horror" anime about Ghouls (duh), for those of you that don't know Ghouls are monsters that eat human corpses to survive. In this anime they also seem to be impervious to knives, for one specific reason that seems kinda like a Deus Ex Machina to make sure the plot can move forward, but the suspense and atmosphere of the show more than made up for it. Our main protagonist in an interesting spot by the end of the episode, I wonder what'll happen next?

Verdict: I'm DEFINITELY watching this show

Locodol

I cannot take it. The "Moe" is too strong with this one. It seems to be a light hearted comedy, with a hefty does of fanservice thrown in for good measure. It's not badly made. Or even badly acted, but I just couldn't see myself watching this through all the way. Once the two of them actually got on stage to do their thing as idols, I nearly quit. It was so awkward and adorable, but I stuck with it and finished the episode, it does much better when the two female protagonists are together, and off-stage, interacting in normal life, but overall I just don't feel that this one's for me. SO, being objective, who's it for? people who like really light hearted slice-of-life anime will adore this. People who really enjoyed Sakura Trick may find this cute (even though it's not yuri, it's still predominantly about female friends). People who enjoy Moe styled fanservice will get a dose of what they're looking for too. I'd consider this show a light time-waster. Nothing bad, but nothing great either.

Verdict: I might watch this as a time killer sometime later in the season, but it's not a high priority

So, there you go! That's a wrap on the first five shows to air this season! Have you seen any of them yet? What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know, that's half the fun of these impressions posts :3